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Less is More – Three Card Spreads

One thing I often try to impress upon both clients and students of the tarot is the idea that sometimes less is more.  More cards doesn’t always mean a better reading.  There is more to look at in a reading than the individual cards in their specific positions.

As the person getting a reading, and especially if you don’t have any tarot experience of your own, I can understand why you might think three cards isn’t much.  I used to think that too before I really started studying tarot in depth.  In fact it was a three and four card tarot reading from a reader in Connecticut that got me to finally stop working with big spreads religiously and start exploring the simplicity and elegance of simpler spreads.

When you’re learning tarot you often start out with learning two spreads: the three card Past/Present/Future spread and the ten card Celtic Cross spread. It always amazes me that people don’t commonly learn a five or six card in between, but these are usually the two starter spreads.

A great thing about learning those two at the start is that you instantly get comfortable with bigger spreads but hopefully you also learn how to glean a lot of info from a smaller one.  Unfortunately a lot of people get roped into the idea of more is more and leave the three card behind or just use them for quick readings without as much depth.

I want to bring back the love of the three card spread.  There’s a lot you can learn from just three cards.

 

Timing
Regardless of the actual spread you use, you can look for timing clues in your three cards.

Seasons
Wands:
Summer
Cups: Autumn
Swords: Spring
Pentacles: Winter

Specific Timing
Wands
– Days
Swords – Weeks
Cups – Months
Pentacles – Years

Look at your three cards you have laid out with your reading and see if there are multiple cards of the same suit.  For example two Cups cards.  This would indicate a general autumn time frame.  You can also look at your outcome card for a timing indication.  For instance a 4 of Swords would indicated 4 weeks where a 2 of Wands would mean 2 days.

When you have no suits and all major arcana cards this can indicate a few different things depending on how you read {i.e. going with your gut}.  Typically major arcana cards indicate things that are already in motion, karmic in nature or even destined.  You could say that mostly major arcana cards indicate something that is going to happen in its own time.

Another perspective is to look at the astrological association.  All major arcana cards have an astrological sign that it corresponds with.  You can see if multiple ones of the same element are in the spread and then use that to determine the seasonal timing.

An example of this would be seeing both The Lovers, associated with Gemini, and The Star, associated with Aquarius in the same three card spread.  Both are Air signs, the element associated with the suit of Swords.  That means a spring time frame is likely.

 

A note about reading for others:  If you’re reading for someone else that lives in another hemisphere and you’re doing timing estimations for them, determine them in your own hemisphere and then have them flip-flop it to fit where they live.  So if you see a spring time frame it would be autumn for them.

 

Other things to look for…

  • When you have a lot of one suit there is a heavy indication that the element and energy associated with that general suit needs to be addressed {like two Cups cards means there’s a lot of healing and emotions involved}.
  • Look for color themes.  If each card has red as the dominate color it’s possibles issues of anger, frustration and power are at the heart of the matter.
  • Be mindful of the little details.  If each card has a butterfly in it despite being mixed suits and major arcana cards, this may indicated that there is a lot of transition and a rebirth coming.

 

Three Card Spreads

I’ve put together a list of 25 of my much loved and most used three card spreads.  How in-depth you let a three card reading be is up to you.  You can spend hours digging into the messages of each card or you could just glance them over, look for the quick answer and be on your way.  It’s up to you.  As always, go with your gut!

 

  1. Mind – Body – Spirit
  2. Past – Present – Future
  3. Situation’s energy – People involved – How it affects me
  4. The Problem – The Cause – The Solution
  5. The Root {grounding} – The Stem {growth} – The Flower {reward}
  6. Start – Stop – Continue
  7. Stop – Caution – Go
  8. Do Now – Do Later -Do in the Distant Future
  9. Strength – Weakness – Advice
  10. Opportunities – Challenges – Outcome
  11. Option 1 – Option 2 – Deciding Factor
  12. What you can change – What you can’t change – What you need to accept
  13. What worked – What didn’t work – What you can change next time
  14. Where you are – Where they are – Where the relationship is going
  15. The Problem – What you need to know – What you can do to change it
  16. Head – Heart – Soul
  17. Idea – Obstacle – Solution
  18. Problem – Don’t Do This – Do This Instead
  19. Yes if this happens – No if this happens – The Maybe Factor
  20. Yesterday – Today – Tomorrow
  21. The Lies – The Hidden Wisdom – The Truth
  22. What is needed – What is wanted – What is destined
  23. Three choices or Three Possibilities {1 – 2 – 3}
  24. What I’m creating – How to nurture it – How to prevent its destruction
  25. What I’m attracting – What I’m magnifying – What I need to release

 

Have a tarot question?  Want to share some of your favorite three card reading spreads and practices?  Tell me all about it down in the comments!


Comments

  1. Val says

    I recently had a 3 card spread done because I’ve been questioning some aspects of my life. I got the fool as my first card, temperance for my second and the lovers as my third. The person who did my reading was not too familiar with what they all meant together so she read them separately but I’m still confused as to what it all means.

  2. monkey says

    I just pulled lovers 2 cups 4 cups in a 3 card spread, speaking to my girl who died. I feel the 4 of cups shows 3 of cups on the ground that I am not impressed with and her offering me the ace of cups. What do you think?

Client Love

Incredible, intuitive, thoughtful, and professional reader! Will definitely book with Jess again.

Cadey

Jess Carlson
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2019-11-11T23:09:41-08:00

Cadey

Incredible, intuitive, thoughtful, and professional reader! Will definitely book with Jess again.
OMG I'm blown away by the accuracy of the reading. Jess has a special gift. What she revealed to me, opened me up to a place I knew I should be at but was holding myself back from.

Masha

Jess Carlson
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2019-11-11T23:10:42-08:00

Masha

OMG I'm blown away by the accuracy of the reading. Jess has a special gift. What she revealed to me, opened me up to a place I knew I should be at but was holding myself back from.
I was so overwhelmed trying to get back into my witchcraft practice, but Jess helped me create an actual plan and a schedule for doing the work. The results in just two months has been far beyond my expectations. I'm in touch with my power like never before!

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Jess Carlson
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2019-11-11T23:14:38-08:00

Sara

I was so overwhelmed trying to get back into my witchcraft practice, but Jess helped me create an actual plan and a schedule for doing the work. The results in just two months has been far beyond my expectations. I'm in touch with my power like never before!
Jess is a great teacher, as well as an insightful reading and a wonderful healer. Her lessons are informative and easy to understand. Her cards speak to her in a way that I hope mine will to me one day. I have also had a Chakra session and a Reiki session with her and afterward I felt at peace, balanced, and whole again (I was quite sick at the time). I trust very few people, and I follow my path alone, but I trust Jess. She’s a beautiful spirit.

Bev

Jess Carlson
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2019-05-09T10:56:45-07:00

Bev

Jess is a great teacher, as well as an insightful reading and a wonderful healer. Her lessons are informative and easy to understand. Her cards speak to her in a way that I hope mine will to me one day. I have also had a Chakra session and a Reiki session with her and afterward I felt at peace, balanced, and whole again (I was quite sick at the time). I trust very few people, and I follow my path alone, but I trust Jess. She’s a beautiful spirit.
When I started coaching with Jess I thought I was coming to her for help with a breakup and an unexpected and sudden international move. It turned out that wasn't the real issue at all! Jess asked questions I never would have thought to ask myself and gave me a whole new perspective on what was going on in my life. She made me feel like what I want matters. By the time we were done I felt like I could take on the world!

Patricia

Jess Carlson
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2019-05-09T10:56:03-07:00

Patricia

When I started coaching with Jess I thought I was coming to her for help with a breakup and an unexpected and sudden international move. It turned out that wasn't the real issue at all! Jess asked questions I never would have thought to ask myself and gave me a whole new perspective on what was going on in my life. She made me feel like what I want matters. By the time we were done I felt like I could take on the world!
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Jess Carlson